VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Last-minute shopping at Pembroke Mall can be a little fun for Sam Jones and his daughter Raina.
“Of course, she likes to do the carousel," Jones said. "So, we decided to make a stop at the carousel.”
For them, last-minute Christmas shopping is normal.
“There’s always a few presents at the end that you got to get for people,” he said.
They shopped around in the mall all Friday morning hoping to get a few gifts for family and friends. He said there’s a bit of a rush at some stores.
“It’s more hectic in Target than it is anywhere else, "he said. "Places like regular here in the mall, it’s nice and quiet.”
It’s quiet inside Cool and Eclectic but store employee Rosanne Hinshaw said they saw a rush of customers earlier this week --- something they weren’t expecting since last year’s sales were low due to quarantine.
“I think everyone had the same issue in the sense because people were always staying at home, not venturing out as much,” Hinshaw said.
She said last week, sales were three times higher than what they would normally see in a month.
“I mean more busy than it’s ever been before," she said. "I mean it’s fantastic how everybody’s been supporting small businesses like ourselves.”
She hopes it stays that way into the new year.